Trailers attached to pull vehicles are commonly used to transport machinery, livestock and other goods. When the trailer is unhitched from the pull vehicle, the trailer and its goods are subject to theft by undesired coupling to some other towing or pull vehicle.
Various locking mechanisms have been used for trailer hitches. One shortcoming of many of the conventional locking mechanisms is that they rely on an exposed padlock that can be cut quickly and easily by thieves using bolt cutters. One sharp blow with a hammer and chisel can also pop many padlocks open. All of such locking mechanisms are relatively easy to pry off of or out of the protected ball or socket component.
With the increase in towed leisure vehicles, many people have had the unpleasant experience of having a towed vehicle stolen from them. For example, many people go to the trouble and expense to have sturdy chains anchored in the ground and secure the chains to their towed vehicles by padlocks, only to discover that a thief can readily cut a padlock or chain of such an arrangement by using heavy-duty bolt-cutters, a hacksaw or other tool.
Various solutions have been proposed to indicate a secure trailer hitch connection and to alert the driver of the towing vehicle of a loose connection or of theft of the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,336 discloses an anti-theft ball for use with ball and socket hitches an externally threaded mounting bolt that engages an internally threaded central opening in the ball. A smaller diameter-locking bolt extends downwardly through a smaller diameter opening in the top of the ball and engages an internally threaded opening in the upper end of the mounting bolt. The threads on the mounting bolt have a different pitch than the threads on the locking bolt. The socket of the hitch prevents access to the locking bolt and the different pitches prevent the mounting bolt from being disengaged. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,064 discloses an anti-Theft and Safety Device for a Ball and Socket Trailer Hitch. The apparatus prevents the socket of such a hitch from being disconnected from the ball inadvertently or without the owners permission. But nothing was provided to protect the ball.
A conventional Pentel clamp is depicted in FIG. 1. The clamp includes a jaw pivotally attached to a base. A latch holds the jaw in place once the hitch is engaged. The latch has been known to yield under heavy loads and rough road conditions. In addition, the shaft often includes several ball mounts to accommodate varying load conditions. Also, the Pentel clamps also rated for various loads, and more than one clamp is generally needed.
However, these hitches will usually only accommodate trailers of certain sizes and not others. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved type of inexpensive and effective trailer hitch that is easy to assemble and install, that can safely accommodate different size vehicles and loads, that is compatible with various hitch designs, that provides improved wear. What is needed is a trailer hitch assembly, that is tamper-resistant to discourage theft of the towed vehicle or the hitch, and upon the unauthorized removal of the hitch from the towing vehicle, sounds a blatant alarm which either can or cannot be deactivated (design choice) by recoupling the hitch to the towing vehicle.